Frequently Asked Questions about Whale Watching

Because of the great demand for many of our Husavik whale watching tours and sailing trips, we recommend booking with few days notice in the high season of July and August. Outside that period booking a day or two in advance is usually sufficient.

You can book our Husavik whale watching tours, sailing trips and combination tours through our online booking system, where you will be dealing directly with North Sailing owner on a secure server.

Booking over the phone
Please call Customer Service at: +354 464 7272 where our travel experts will answer all your booking related questions and assist you in making a reservation.

Booking by e-mail
Send an email to our Travel Help Team with basic information about the tour you‘re interested in, what date you are thinking of and then something about you or those going on the tour. Our travel experts will quickly get back you with information on availability and assist you in making a reservation.

Live chat
Talk live with one of our travel experts to that will be happy to help you with any questions regarding our tours from Husavík.

Whales are wild animals that roam freely from place to place covering vast distances in a short amount of time. Seeing whales out in the wild can therfore never be guaranteed in the same sense as seeing whales or dolphins in a water park or an enclosed area. What we can guarantee is that the odds of seeing whales on North Sailing whale watching tours are excellent.

Our success in seeing whales over the past 20 years is outstanding and we invite you to visit our whale watching logbooks where you can browse our whale sightings from season to season back in time. In the unlikely event that you don´t see whales on your trip, we’ll offer you another trip, free of charge.

The element of surprise is for sure one of the things that makes watching marine wildlife so exciting. You simply never know what species you might come across. Over the years Humpback whales have been among the most commonly sighted members of the cetacean family which includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

Minke whales. White beaked dolphins and Harbour porpoises are quite frequently seen and the colossal Blue whale has been a regular guests as well.

Skjálfandi bay and adjacent areas is home to some of the largest bird colonies on the northern hemisphere. Offshore islands, rocky cliffs and rich fishing grounds provide the perfect environment for wide variety of sea birds like puffins, gannets, arctic terns, shags, cormorants, fulmars, common guillimots and razor bills.

With its gaudy bill and comical expressions the Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula artctica) is the most popular species to spot and photograph. During breeding season over 300.000 Puffins make their burrows on Puffin island which you can visit on the folowing tours.

Your safety is our number one concern. Our captains and crew are experienced sailors, many of whom have a been local fishermen for years. We rely on their judgement when it comes to weather and conditions and if tours should be cancelled or not.

If you are travelling long distances on the day of your tour, we strongly advise you contact our booking office to check weather conditions (Tel: +354 464 7272).

When trips are cancelled we will do our outmost to get you out on the next trip which most often is possible. Should your trip be cancelled you have to contact our booking office and ask for your booking to be transferred.

April through October is great for whale watching in Husavik where Humpback whales, Minke whales, Dolphins and Porpoises are a common sight. Killer whales (Orca) are most frequently been spotted in spring during April and May.

Late May through July is when you get to experience 24 hour sunlight and the midnight sun but from August to October is the time of flaming red sunsets.

Sightings depend on weather and sea conditions which are constantly changing. Number and species of whales in the bay vary from day to day since the whales come here to feed and the feeding conditions are impossible to predict.

A rule of thumb is to dress as warmly as possible before heading out. It can often be really cold staying out on sea for three hours. Any kind of normal shoes is fine although we don’t recommend wearing sandals. Aboard we keep raincoats and warm overalls if necessary.

We don’t have scheduled tours to Grímsey but we offer tours to Grímsey for groups upon request. Individuals can possibly join these trips so it doesn’t hurt to ask at our ticket office or simply call us or send an e-mail.

Yes, children of all ages are welcome and it’s also fine to take strollers with you on board. We recommend to dress the children warmly and ask about weather and sea conditions before you decide to go.